Category: Eye Brows

NARS Brow Perfector ($22.00 for 0.007 oz.) will be available in four shades that range from blonde to black (but no redhead). The formula is described as “velvety” with a “natural matte finish” and “natural ingredients [that] ensure brows are nourished, soft, and smooth.” That last bit, I couldn’t attest to and don’t actually know what they’re referring to as far as particulars. There’s a lot of focus on the precision tip of the pencil that is oval-shaped.

Caucase is described as “brown.” It’s a light-medium, neutral brown with a matte finish.

Kalamata is described as “light brown.” It’s a light-medium, slightly warm-toned brown with a matte finish. I could barely tell the difference between this and Caucase, both in the pencil as well as swatched. I triple-checked the names to make sure they were, in fact, two different shades!

Salzbourg is described as “blonde.” It’s a pale, peachy beige-brown with a matte finish.

Suriname is described as “black.” It’s a blackened brown with subtle, cool undertones and a mostly matte finish.

I used a mix of Caucase and Suriname to fill in the right (your right!) brow, as the first was a bit too light, and the second was too dark. The consistency all four shades was very stiff, slightly waxy, but they’re skip-happy and are best applied with little dashes of product rather than trying to fill in any fluid manner. You’re just not going to get good color payoff in a single stroke, and to get any color at all, you need firm pressure. I normally use powder to fill in my brows, which I find easier, more precise, and infinitely more blendable. These pencils stick where you place them, and they don’t blend together too well. On the upside, the product lasted well for nine hours. The oval shape didn’t seem to give me added precision, but it didn’t seem to complicate matters–if you have finer or thinner brows, it may be an issue, though.

MAC Stylish Brow: Veluxe Brow Liner

MAC Veluxe Brow Liner ($19.50 for 0.042 oz.) is a new and permanent range of brow pencils that can be used to fill, define, and shape the brow. It comes in five shades: Strawberry Blonde (soft muted beige-taupe), Redhead (soft brown), Brunette (muted mid-tone gray), Deep Brunette (muted blackish-brown), and Deep Dark Brunette (dark dirty chocolate).

Strawberry Blonde is a light-medium brown with a gray-ish cast.

Redhead is a light-medium brown with subtle warm undertones.

Brunette is a medium brown with a subtle gray tinge.

Deep Brunette is a medium-dark brown with subtle, warm undertones.

Deep Dark Brunette is a dark brown with subtle warm, undertones. It is only marginally darker than Deep Brunette and has less red undertones.

MAC described the pencil as a “rich powdery formula.” It is kind of odd to think of an eyeliner as powdery, but there is a little powderiness to the pencil here. That powderiness works well with the brow pencil, because it lends it a softer finish and feel, so it looks more natural and is more readily blended along the brow so it doesn’t create harsh lines.

After using the Brow Gelcreme, the Veluxe Brow Liner was less interesting. It’s not too soft or hard; firm enough to give a full, opaque line of color, but not so firm that it drags or pulls. Unlike a lot of pencil eyeliners, there is no dry-down–it’s like a pressed powder eyeshadow in pencil form. When I wore Deep Dark Brunette, I felt it was a smidgen on the light side for my natural brow color (dark brown, slightly black)–I typically use Espresso or Brun eyeshadows to fill my brows in–and it was faded in places (about 80% remained) after eight hours. Unlike the Brow Gelcremes, this range has more shades, though I think it is lacking a really dark shade and not enough ashy colors.

The five new pencils are permanent, per a Live Chat I did with MAC yesterday (and the website corroborates, as they aren’t listed as limited edition), so you can feel free to fall in love and make it a new staple in your routine.

Dirty Blonde is an ochre-toned brown with a gray cast; it’s a bit yellow-brown to be a true taupe, but there’s a definite grayness to it that give sit a taupe-like coloring.

Redhead is a warm, yellowed, medium tan-brown.

Deep Dark Brunette is a dark brown with subtle, warm red undertones.

Ooh–I really like these. They have the same consistency and feel of MAC’s Fluidlines, which is a fantastic formula. It’s creamy, pigmented, smooth, and it sets efficiently–not so quick that you have no time to fix mistakes, blend, or the like, but not so long that it has time to move around. I used Deep Dark Brunette to fill in my brow using the 208 (which is the brush promoted with this launch), and it was lovely. The creamy consistency allowed for a really crisp line and edge along the upper and lower edges of the brow. The color wasn’t too harsh against my skin tone and with my brow color, so on dark brown (with a bit of black) brows, it’s an appropriate color.

All three shades had incredible pigmentation; the color payoff in a single pass was opaque and didn’t skip or drag. When I tested the shade closest to my brow color, it lasted all day long. I had no problem getting a full eight hours of wear, and even after twelve hours, 90% of it remained. Mere water did not smudge or cause it to run, either, so it holds up to the waterproof claim as well. I will be curious to see how suitable Dirty Blonde and Redhead are for those with lighter brows. I wish this formula was permanent, and I could see a few more shades being added to round it out more.

Video Review: Benefit for Brows

With Benefit’s announcement of free brow service on your birthday, they also included a few of their cult favorite brow products, which I swatch and talk about in this video–a bit of first impressions with some review, since I have used a few products mentioned in the video previously! I posted reviews for both Brows A-Go-Go and High Brow this past week, and since the pencil isn’t my shade, I’m not reviewing it at this time.

Benefit High Brow ($20.00 for 0.10 oz.) is designed to “lift” and enhance brows by brightening with a “soft, matte linen-pink” shade. Benefit recommends applying it beneath your brow, just following the arch, and blend.

Inevitably, one wonders what is the difference between Benefit’s Eye Bright and High Brow, as they’re both pink pencils designed to help brighten eyes — well, Benefit wrote a blog postexplaining the differences. To summarize, High Brow is a neutral pink while Eye Bright is a cool-toned pink; the cooler tones in Eye Bright as designed to combat dark circles. Benefit warns that using High Brow on undereye circles may look too light, while using Eye Bright to define brows may look too pink.

It’s absolutely true that Eye Bright is a cooler-toned, more blue-based pink, and it also has a bit of micro-shimmer–very subtle but still there. I think those who are naturally cool-toned, one could get away with using both. For those with warmer undertones, the difference is likely more noticeable.

I like High Brow for more minimal looks; not necessarily five-minute looks but when one wants to have that natural look. The creaminess of the product makes it easy to blend, and it dries down quickly and holds up fairly well alone (about six hours). I applied it in the photos below so you can see how it looks, and I deliberately went heavy-handed, because I wanted it to show up in photos–the effect can be subtler if one desires.

Benefit and brows take me back almost ten years (which makes me a little nauseous to think about, because sometimes I think I’m still 18 and when I’m clearly not). One of my first beauty experiences was begging my makeup-enthused best friend to tweeze my brows, and she always carried Benefit’s Brow Zings and their mini tweezers. I can’t tell you how I longed for a pair of my own mini tweezers–they just seemed so cool at the time. (With my hands, I can appreciate full-size tweezers for regular maintenance but minis are nice in a pinch.)

The lighter shade is a medium-dark taupe brown, while the darker brow shade is a dark brown with subtle red undertones. The wax is a cross between the two–not too dark, not too light. I found the eyeliner to be fairly black but a bit stubby so it may be difficult to hold for some. I actually liked the shimmering icy pink of the highlight powder; not quite as cool-toned as Eye Bright, which is a creamy, pale white-pink.

The dark shade works well for me, having nearly black natural brows. I like mixing the two, though, for a softer look as well. I would be careful using the highlighting products on deeper skin tones, because I think it may turn a little ashy, but they work well on light and medium skin tones.